A Friendly Jolt
by Ethereal Forest
Summary: It's winter of second year for Minami, Yutaka and Hiyori, and Hiyori is becoming increasingly frustrated by the obvious chemistry between her friends. Can she push them closer or will she wreck their friendship?
1. A Friendly Jolt

**A Friendly Jolt**

It was a cold winter's day of second year. The heating in the school was on, but the level of relief it provided was as extensive as the school's current financial budget.

_In other words bring a warm coat to hide in where possible, and about 3 extra vests, _thought Hiyori as she sat shivering in her chair at lunch.

To her left sat the petite, slim armed and small chested figure of Yutaka, taking small bites out of a cucumber sandwich. Opposite her was the tall and quiet figure of Minami, chewing on a sushi from her bento, a pair of chopsticks in her hand.

Minami looked up and caught Hiyori's glance and gave her a soft smile.

_She looks so much softer these days, at least when Yutaka's around. As much as such a relationship is 'rotten' the more they keep dancing round each other like they do the more it irritates me. _

Feeling the need to say something she said the first thing that came to mind.

"It's too cold. We should be allowed to wear jumpers in class or something."

Minami's gaze had been dropping to her bento box but now it raised up and noticed Hiyori was shivering slightly.

"Ah."

"You don't mind the cold?" Hiyori asked Minami.

Minami shook her head and Yutaka chipped in,

"No, Minami's warm blooded, she doesn't feel the cold much."

"Lucky for some," Hiyori added with another shiver. Until her mind began working on the ways that Yutaka could have found out that Minami was warm blooded; perhaps a gentle brush of her hair, or…

_Arrgh! No! I always do this. _

The others missed her grimace though, because Yutaka was concentrating on her sandwich and Minami was concentrating on Yutaka, wondering if she'd just seen her shiver. Yutaka trembled again as the classroom door opened and closed in the top left corner of the room.

"Are you cold Yutaka?" Minami asked in concern. Yutaka glanced up with a happy smile,

"A little. They don't have much heating here."

Hiyori stared intently at her lunchbox, this conversation had wayyy too much potential.

"Is there anything I can do to warm you up?"

Hiyori concentrated even harder on clearing her mind and preventing small red spots from appearing in her bento rice.

Yutaka blinked and nodded, blushing slightly.

"If you don't mind I could do with a warm drink, but I should..."

Minami shook her head and rose,

"It's fine I'll get it. Do you want one Hiyori?"

Hiyori returned herself to reality and fished in her skirt for change. Settling on a clutch of circular yen she withdrew her left hand, counted out the three coins needed and handed them across to Minami.

_She's slowly changing all the time, thanks to Yutaka. Minami would never have offered to help anyone else before, even if she wanted to. They would be such a good couple. What I can't stand though is how they keep acting like one without being one, its slowly driving me mad! _

Yutaka had also begun reaching into her skirt but Minami simply said,

"Don't worry Yutaka I'll get yours,"

"But…"

"Let me." Then Minami strode off and out of the door.

Hiyori scratched her forehead in irritation.

"Seriously, why don't you just ask her out?" She said echoing her inner frustration. Then realised she'd spoken out loud, and that Yutaka was staring at her.

"Ask her out?" Yutaka's face started going very red. "You mean on a date?"

Hiyori sighed, tossing up whether to backtrack or not. _What the heck. _She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Yes, don't you love her?"

Yutaka was definitely blushing now. _Well this is one way to keep her warm I suppose._

"Yes, but, we're girls."

"So? Could you stand it if Minami was asked out by a guy first?"

This was the first thing that really seemed to register with Yutaka. She frowned with half of her sandwich frozen between the cellophane and crumb-strewn desk, and her half open mouth.

"Do you not find Minami attractive?"

_Oh God what have I started. All those months of playing it safe. Well now that I've started I can't stop. _

Yutaka blinked and nodded.

"She's like a handsome knight," she said dreamily.

"Then why not ask her out? If its Minami there's no way she'd hate you for asking right? You're practically a couple already."

"Eh? We are?" Yutaka glanced at her questioningly. Hiyori sighed at her cluelessness.

"Yeah. You haven't noticed?"

Yutaka shook her head at first but as her mind clicked into gear she tilted it left thoughtfully.

"Well I guess,"

"So why not see if Minami feels the same way?"

Yutaka gazed back at her lunchbox and after a few seconds consideration suddenly in her rather air-headed way made a surprising connection,

"Oh! So those doujins you drew were based on us."

Hiyori choked on her taco and rice and flapped her right hand in panic.

"Don't get me wrong. I mean, I want you two to be happy and I wouldn't suggest it unless I thought that. Those were only bases anyway." Another thought occurred to her. "Don't tell Minami please? She'll kill me. Probably." Even the rather soft and gentle Minami had to have a dark side waiting to rise up and behead her with the stroke of steel blade.

Yutaka chuckled and she turned her green eyes up to Hiyori.

"I know, thanks Hiyori," she said, still a little red. "I won't," she added with a small smile which suddenly turned into a determined one, "providing you let me handle this on my own". Then she lifted her sandwich up and took another bite, signalling the discussion was at an end.

_Actually I shouldn't underestimate how dangerous Yutaka is, she might be air headed but I think she'd be more scary than Minami when it came to protecting something._

Hiyori returned to her bento as well and both ate in silence until Minami returned with two hot coffee cans.

She slid one in front of Yutaka and another in front of Hiyori. Yutaka put down her quarter of a sandwich and grasped the can with both her small slender hands. "So warm," she sighed happily and glanced at Minami who's own face reflected her happiness. "Thanks Minami!"

Clearly she'd had enough time to compose herself and it wasn't obvious anything had changed. Only Hiyori noticed that her right leg twitching as she spoke, or the twitch of two her right fingers against the warm can.

_Well I've set something in motion, I only hope it leads to a happy ending._

* * *

><p><em>This was intended to just be a one shot but I think I may add a secondthird Chapter to tie it off at some point so will leave it as incomplete for now._


	2. Asking Advice

**Asking Advice**

**Knock, knock.**

"Hmm, come in," Konata called out over the clashing of on-screen swords.

Yutaka pushed the door open a crack and slipped in, shutting it carefully behind her.

Konata seemed to up her efforts, the smooth black controller jerking about as if possessed by demon on drugs until the figure with the red headband on the left of the screen collapsed. Konata was wearing Denham jeans and a light and dark blue, striped jumper; her room as ever an untidy jumble of manga, games and drawings. Yukata sighed. Konata had gone to an Art and Graphic College following her graduation, but it didn't seem her work ethic had changed; if anything it had dropped. But Konata was the only one she felt she could talk to about, well this.

Konata looked over her shoulder with a welcoming grin.

"Ah Yuu-chan, what brings you here?"

It was an awful lot easier to talk about this with Konata in her imagination somehow.

"Ah, um, eh, well...you see I have a question."

Konata sweat dropped and glanced about for an escape route.

"Not a homework question," she clarified; Konata seemed to have a general allergy towards work. Konata relaxed and put down the controller, spinning on the floor with legs crossed and a welcoming grin on her face.

"Well then?"

Yukata sat down as well, on the opposite side of the square table currently stationed in Konata's room, as it was easier than standing. But she found herself unable to look up, as though the gravity around her head had suddenly doubled. The fingers on her right hand took to drumming against her left hand, which rested nervously upon her lap.

"Well you see there's this, this friend who I like a lot."

"Are?" _That would be Minami right?_

"And well, another friend suggested I should just ask her out, before someone else does."

She glanced up to see Konata eyebrows slightly raised, if anything her grin had grown slightly; the fingers on Yukata's right hand beat a little faster against her left and she glanced down to her right at nothing in particular.

"But we're both girls and I'm a little nervous. I mean what would dating mean?"

"Have you been out shopping together?"

She nodded.

"Cinema?"

A nod.

"Fireworks…oh of course you did. Shared an umbrella?"

Another nod.

"Hmm."

Konata assumed a more serious look,

"Then it sounds like you and Minami-san have tripped most of the couple flags already."

Yutaka gasped and her eyes widened.

"Eh? You knew?"

Konata nodded and just about resisted rolling her eyes. _Yutaka is quite moe, she definitely has some of Miyuki's air-headedness. And Minami-san is the strong silent type but quite caring underneath. It's definitely a good pairing. _

"So what would dating mean?" Yukata insisted. "I mean if we're already, well, like a couple."

"Hmmm. Well you would have to make it official by the confession moment. Then doing the above would become dates rather than trips. Then…" Konata started to struggle as she reached the gap between dating and eroge. "Then you level up on the dates by say holding hands, hugging in the scary movie at the cinema and so on until you feel comfortable enough to kiss."

Konata just about avoided adding in a few more far fetched and more adult situations involving changing rooms and showers.

"Ah," Yutaka said. "That sounds so simple when you put it like that."

Konata nodded. "Things in life are simple, but its about seizing the moment. If its what you want you should go for it!" She glanced warily at the clock, painfully concious it was almost time for the latest episode of ******.

Yutaka noticed the anxious glance and nodded, rising to leave. "Thanks Konata. You don't think its strange then, us dating?"

Konata shook her head and gave her a mischevious smile.

"No. Why would I. I've been progressing down the Kagami route for some time now."

"Oh." Yutaka's eyes shone in recognition of a kindred spirit. _That explains her more frequent visits. And why she looked so flushed after studying, and the moan I heard a few weeks ago when she was staying over; I bet they were watching scary movies! _"Okay, thanks onee-chan."

"Mmm. Mmm." Konata replied nodding her head vigorously, and implying a certain urgency that only the danger of missing an anime show could bring.

Yutaka shut the door gently behind her and clenched her left fist, filled with courage and determination.

_Ous! Tomorrow I shall definitely try to confess to her!_

* * *

><p><em>I think I will probably finish on the third Chapter with this fanfic as I don't want to overstretch myself - and my aim was to provide at least one good tale for this pair, which is clearly the most canon yuri pairing in the series - and so sweet together XD I may at some point come back to them and try and write something set a little further on though. <em>

_Hope you enjoyed this Chapter, and will try to provide it with a fitting conclusion to follow *nod* Thanks to for all the reviews :)_


	3. A Clumsy Confession

**A Clumsy Confession**

Minami stole another curious sideways glance at Yutaka. There was definitely something off about her today. She was fidgeting a lot and seemed more jumpy and on edge than normal; at lunch she'd barely said a word and kept staring off out the window, absent mindedly moving the food about in her bento box. At present she was staring straight ahead whilst rolling her pencil back and forth on her desk.

_I hope she's not caught something. _

A cold was the first thing that sprung to Minami's mind. Yutaka was weak against colds and it was a continual source of worry for the bigger girl. _Although it feels nice to be of use to her. To see her smile. To spend my life like that with her would be really great. _

She turned and glanced out of the window, at the sky over the city; it was cloudy but there were some blue gaps, as though someone had been prodding at it with oddly shaped pastry cutters. _If only dreams came true like that. But I'm still not great at talking much normally, let alone skirting onto dangerous topics. And it's not something she'd realise herself. I mean she didn't even cotton on to Hiyori's sketches of us together. I kinda wish I'd managed to keep one. _

She focused back on the class, the teacher continuing to try and explain algebra on the whiteboard. Yutaka had stopped rolling her pencil and was spinning it in circles in her left hand whilst tracing a circle on the floor with her foot; first going clockwise then reversing the motion and spinning anti-clockwise.

_Rather than a cold I'd say she's nervous about something? But what? We've not got tests for a while or any sort of performances. Maybe it's Konata or her dad. He worries me. No, that's just speculating. It's probably way off. Maybe I should work up the courage to ask her?_

The bell went signalling the end of school and she packed up her stuff. Yutaka dumped her own stuff hastily into her bag.

"Are you okay Yutaka?" She asked.

Yutaka jumped a couple of inches and went bright red. She managed to give her a half glance and smile too wide to be genuine.

"Yes. Yes I'm okay! Definitely!" Then she swung her bag onto her back and headed for the door, leaving a perplexed looking Minami trailing in her wake.

_Did I do something wrong? _

Hiyori walked with them down the school corridors and out into the swarming school entrance. Minami walked next to Hiyori, with Yutaka a little in front.

"Is Yutaka okay?" Minami asked Hiyori. It may just have been her imagination but she though she saw a grin on Hiyori's face, before the bespectacled girl answered.

"Who knows. She does seem a bit jumpy today."

Minami frowned, suspecting Hiyori knew more than she was letting on, but unable to find the right question to unlock the answers she wanted.

Outside the air was cold and a stiff breeze was blowing, all three of them wearing scarves and thick coats: Yutaka's red, Hiyori's dark purple and Minami's light blue.

_It feels cold enough that it might start snowing soon, _Minami thought. _Perhaps I should invite Yutaka over tonight so she doesn't have to walk back in the cold herself. I can get my dad to give her a lift home later. _

As she sped up to draw level with Yutaka though, Yutaka spun round with a gasp.

"Ah! I forgot my textbook."

"Ah? Do you want me to go…"

"I'll need to go to get the right one," Yutaka insisted, leaving Minami wondering whether to go or not as Yutaka headed back past her.

"Um, could you come with me Minami?" Yutaka suddenly blurted out in a rush as she stepped past the taller girl.

Minami cast a confused glance at Hiyori. Unseen by Minami, Yutaka also cast Hiyori a glance that was far easier for Hiyori to read. Hiyori gave Minami a rueful smile, shrugged and said,

"I need to dash home so I'll see you tomorrow," and headed for the school gates. On reaching them she toyed with the temptation of returning to the room and watching, but the thoought of betraying Yutaka's pleading glance was unthinkable. Besides, Yutaka might not go through with whatever she had in mind if she was spotted. With a sigh she settled for imagining what was happening, a broad smile already crossing her face at the thought of the doujin material that sprung to mind.

Inside the school Yutaka led the way back up to the classroom, with Minami a pace behind to her left. Evening sunlight was now shafting through the corridors, leaving rectangular blocks of light pooling against floors and walls, as if the school had been filled with golden gateways to strange new places.

For most of the journey an uneasy silence hung between the pair. Minami had no idea what to ask as Yutaka had said she was fine. Yutaka was clearly still very nervous, her hands kept clenching and unclenching and when she tried to whistle the theme tune from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suziyama it wobbled and faltered after a few seconds.

Reaching their classroom Yutaka slid open the door and stepped inside. The room was empty besides three girls still talking by their desk near the far door, where the teacher usually entered. Minami followed Yutaka in, wondering why Yutaka seemed so preoccupied by the three girls near the door; if she didn't know better she'd have said Yutaka was trying to give them a death glare. Which was odd because Minami was fairly sure that neither her nor Yutaka had had a run in with them before.

_Has one of them been hurting Yutaka?_

She glared suspiciously at them. That seemed to have an effect. One of the girls noticed and shifted her bag uncomfortably, then said something. A few seconds more banter followed and then the group headed out of the far door into the corridor.

Minami had by then reached Yutaka's desk, watching Yutaka pull out a yellow textbook from the compartment under her desk. A couple of puzzling thoughts struck Minami at the same time.

"There's only one book there Yutaka," she stated.

Yutaka blinked. It took her a second to work out what Minami meant. She laughed nervously.

"Ah, well I guess I thought there were more here."

Minami's eyes flickered with disbelief, largely because there was a further problem with Yutaka's story.

"And that's a geography textbook isn't it?"

Yutaka glanced down at it and nodded, glancing up at Minami as if to say 'so what?'

"We don't have Geography tomorrow."

Yutaka glanced down at the textbook with a frown and then her eyes widened. She rubbed the fingers of her right hand together against her right thumb, and although she was smiling as she replied her eyes wouldn't meet Minami's,

"I guess I forgot and thought it was…"

Minami's eyes lost the last dredges of warmth. She already felt hurt that Yutaka wouldn't tell her what was happening, but even more so that she was now lying to her. Yutaka caught the look of hurt in Minami's eyes before she turned and started walking towards the door.

Seconds later Minami found a pair of slender arms wrapped around her waist and Yutaka's sobbing face buried in her back.

"I'm sorry Minami. I didn't mean to upset you. And I lied about the books because…because I wanted a chance to be alone with you."

Minami frowned as a shaft of sunlight broke in on their classroom and washed over them as they stood amongst the disjointed rows of wooden desks and plastic chairs. In the distance kids were laughing, and on occasion the metallic ping of a baseball bat smashing a ball could be heard; Minami didn't really notice though, too distracted by the upset redhead clinging to her.

"Couldn't we have gone back to my house, or yours?"

"Um, but I thought it was more…romantic to do it in an empty classroom. I mean it happens a lot in anime's, doesn't it?"

Minami was sure she'd misheard the last sentence, as there was something very out of place about it, probably the fact she could have sworn Yutaka had just used the word romantic. At any rate she needed to clarify.

"Do what?"

Yutaka gasped, as if only just realising what she'd said out loud. She released Minami and then suddenly scampered over to the far door, pulling it shut; then quickly dashed over to the one they'd entered by and pulled it shut as well. Minami watched this eccentric behaviour with a raised eyebrow and a heart too scared to hope that she had in fact heard Yutaka mention the word 'romantic'.

Yutaka walked over to her, wiping the tears from her face; then looked up into Minami's eyes, although her hands were trembling.

"Actually I've been really nervous about doing this all day, because I was worried you'd hate me."

Minami's eyes widened and with the subtext: _Not a snowball's chance in hell._

Yutaka giggled and for the first time looked more cheerful and relaxed. "I guess I knew you wouldn't but still…

Yutaka clenched her fists and screwed her eyes shut as she took a deep breath. Then opened them and made sure she was looking directly at Minami.

Minami, I love you." Yutaka gulped. "Would you be my girlfriend?" Her eyes dropped to the ground, with her shot of confidence expended. She stood before Minami trembling with nerves, looking like a lost puppy.

Minami tentatively reached out and wrapped her arms about Yutaka's shoulders and held her close. _Did Yutaka really just ask me out? No wonder she was nervous. And she tried so hard to set it up as well. She went so far for me!_

Her heart soared and she whispered to the now still form of Yutaka four words.

"I love you too."

"Minami!" She heard Yutaka exclaim joyously, and Yutaka's arms wrapped about her waist again. Minami ran her left hand through Yutaka's hair, enjoying the soft feeling and wondering how this miraculous moment had come to pass.

"Yutaka," she murmured.

They remained like that a while, enjoying the moment, before Yutaka detached herself and gave Minami her best wide eyes and pleading look.

"Am I forgiven for earlier?"

Minami would have forgiven almost anyone at that moment and nodded. Most people wouldn't have noticed just how happy her eyes were, but luckily Yutaka certainly didn't fall into that category. Slipping her left hand into Minami's right hand she gave Minami a warm smile.

"Come on Minami, lets get going home before someone worries about us."

And with a small nod Minami shifted her right hand closer about Yutaka's left, following her out of the classroom, through the corridors and into the open front entranceway, where the earlier clouds were dissolving to leave oceans of deepening blue in the chilly evening sky.

* * *

><p><em>On further refelection I'm going to leave this one marked as 'in progress' as I started thinking up some rather good dating scenes whilst on the train home from work XD. It'll depend on when and where the mood takes me, but I should, at some point, have at least a few more additions to make to this fanfic yet :) And as ever a big thanks to all the people who have supported this fanfic, its almost certainly in part thanks to that support that I was able to really write a good ff for these two and to have the enthusiasm to consider ways to extend it further.<em>


	4. First Steps

**First Steps**

It wasn't until they emerged outside that Minami felt she was able speak. Yutaka had been humming the theme tune to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suziyama all the way out with a joyful flawlessness that was too cute to interrupt. However as they began walking towards the school entrance, between the clumps of club bound students drifting at varying speeds towards their designated dojo, practice ground or club room, Yutaka's humming petered out as she tried to think of a new tune could best sum up how she was feeling.

"Ah Yutaka,"

Yukata turned her wide eyes Minami's way, the warmth radiating from them causing Minami to take a second longer than usual to respond; their hands still closely entwined.

"Um, well I wondered if you'd like to stay at mine this evening. My dad can give you a lift home."

She rushed the last part in case Yutaka got the wrong impression; after all it was far too early to start thinking of progressing down Hiyori's doujin lines.

She needn't have worried. Yutaka was oblivious to any such insinuation. She simply asked,

"Is that okay?" Her breath condensing in a mini mist cloud before her, briefly veiling her sparkling eyes; in the distance an uncoordinated chorus of cheers went up from the soccer pitch.

Minami nodded, Yutaka was too cute. "Of course!" She added and grabbed Yutaka's left hand with her right for extra affirmation. They'd held hands before, but usually only in large crowds when Minami was worried about Yutaka getting swept off. This time the pair felt as though there was an extra warmth to the grip as they felt the gentle pulse of the others heart; Minami leading the way forward towards her house.

They remained quiet on the way home, letting the fullness of what had happened in the classroom sink in: Minami's thoughts torn between the delight of holding Yutaka's hand as her girlfriend and being constantly vigilant against cars, strong gusts of wind and suspicious people; Yutaka basking in Minami's presence whilst trying in vain to spot the first snowflake.

Twenty minutes later and they were walking up the drive to Minami's house. A white fur ball bounded up to them with tail wagging, almost bowling Minami over.

"Woof!" He barked joyfully, panting heavily from the run, hazel eyes trusting. Yutaka's hand slipped from Minami's as she moved up to Cherry and rubbed his head, Cherry tilting it to the side in acceptance and his tail wagging faster.

"Good dog Cherry. Whose a good dog?" Yutaka said as she enveloped Cherry in a hug. Minami smiled. _Yutaka is always so accepting of everyone. But it's cold and we (Yutaka) shouldn't remain outside._

"We should head in, we can play there." She said.

Yutaka glanced up at Minami and giggled, "I love how you're always thinking about me. No-one ever did so much before."

Minami went bright red and Yutaka giggled.

"Okay, okay lets go in." She let go of Cherry, whose tail was still shaking nineteen to a dozen. As Minami moved past her and under the concrete posted porch to press the doorbell Yutaka asked,

"Why is he called Cherry?"

_Ding-DingDingDing-Ding_

"Because we got him during April, during the Hanami season, and when my mum asked me what I was going to call him I was looking out the car window at the cherry pink petals."

"Hmmm, we should go see that together next year, but you really do like Cherry don't you."

"Mmmhmm."

"Because there's no way you'd be able to say that much so joyfully about something you didn't value a lot," Yutaka said with a grin as the sound of the door lock jarring out of place sent their eyes darting to the door.

"Ah," Minami replied. _I guess that's true, but it's also because I'm with you that I feel relaxed enough to speak more. _

"Ah Minami, Yutaka, come in," Minami's mum said with a warm smile. She was wearing a turtleneck cream jumper and plain blue trousers. From behind her was the smell of boiling pasta boiling and a hint of tomatoes, enough to perk up the two schoolgirls: Minami's dad worked till late and rarely got back before 8 in the evening due to his commute so would have his dinner separately during the week.

Minami's mum headed back to the kitchen with her blue tinted hair running down to her shoulders where it ended in a neat trim. Yutaka had observed that Minami's mum was a little more talkative than Minami: She had only seen her dad once one weekend when she'd been round and he had hardly said a word, replying 'yes' to a question from Minami's mum as to whether he would like a cup of green tea.

_Still he works so hard for Minami and her mum he can't be a bad person, right? Just a little hard to approach._

Yutaka didn't realise she had been spacing out until Minami's voice behind her said gently,

"Do you want me to take your coat Yutaka?"

Yutaka blinked and flapped her arms in happiness and embarrassment at being caught spacing out.

_Though I guess it happens rather a lot, ehe._

"Ah, yes please."

Minami had already hung her own coat up and now removed Yutaka's red scarf and coat, before hanging them over the top of her larger one on the bronze pegs that hung along the left of the hall; the cream carpeted staircase running perpendicular to the hall on the right, before twisting 180 degrees to run up to the second floor.

Yutaka glanced up at the lofty ceilings and the feeling of roomy space that Minami's house generated.

"It's so big," she murmured.

Minami smiled, "you say that every time you come round."

Yutaka smiled. "I know, but I don't come round often enough to get used to it."

Automatically Minami asked, "would you like to?"

Yutaka blinked and stared at the taller girl, then flung herself about Minami.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. Then pulled away with puppy dog eyes, "if it's not too much of a bother for you and your mum of course."

"Never," Minami whispered, too touched by the sudden rush of affection to say more. Yutaka somehow did this too her: Yutaka's shows affection and warmth were allowing her to open up slowly, but there were still times when the smaller girl's bursts would simply overwhelm her.

Minami's mum popped her head out into the hallway from the end of the corridor,

"Dinner will be done in about thirty minutes."

"Thanks Mrs Iwasaki," Yutaka called out, "is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, just keep Cherry occupied. He's been quite excitable this afternoon and I don't want him knocking over the pans," she said before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Cherry gave an indignant bark as if to say 'What, me? All lies.' Yutaka laughed and gave his head another rub.

Yutaka turned to Minami,

"Do you want to take him upstairs whilst I phone home and let them know I'm here, before they worry."

Minami nodded and gave Cherry's head a rub as well before pointing upstairs. Cherry sat down and pretended not to understand. Minami thought about mimicking the action of going upstairs, but that rarely worked and there was no way she was doing that in front of Yutaka. Instead she lifted Cherry up and began carrying him. Cherry considered putting up a fight but sensed it would be more trouble than it was worth and so settled down, tail shaking lazily as Minami carried him upstairs.

Yutaka walked past the stairs to the rectangular gap between them and the study room beyond. Enclosed by the cream walls and white banisters of the staircase stood a mahogany table with a small locked draw and polished surface; it also had a lower shelf on which a couple of bulky address books and the days newspaper rested. On the top shelf a flowery bulbous lamp-stand narrowed to support a light bulb encased in a lampshade dress of concertinaing pale pink, and in front of table lamp stood a slim, upright handset phone.

Yutaka slipped the phone out of its stand and dialled in her home number.

"Hello?" Came an unfamiliar and slightly gravelly female voice.

"Err hello?" Yutaka said uncertainly. It certainly didn't sound like Konata or her dad. "Is this the Izumi residence?"

"No, this is the Ioshi residence. Who are you?" The old lady sounded paranoid, Yutaka gulped.

"Ah! Sorry I must have dialled the wrong number," she hit the end call button before anyone noticed, then after a deep breath very carefully dialled the Izumi number; the smell of freshly cooked food encasing her and making her stomach rumble.

_I wonder if it's snowing yet? _She thought as the phone on the other end rang. _It's so warm inside it's hard to believe it will snow. I wonder if Minami and me can build a snowman. Maybe we should invite Hiyori, Patricia and the others as well. Well it might not snow but..._

"Yo!" Came a sleepy drawling voice. "Welcome to Castle Izumi where dreams come true. What wishes can we grant you?"

_Definitely the right number, though who knows what she's just been watching. The depth of Konata's otaku-ness is frightening to behold. _

"Hi onee-chan."

"Ah Yuu-chan. You round at Iwasaki's then?"

"Hai!"

"Hmmm you seem overtly happy," Konata mused thoughtfully. "Have you already had your wish granted?"

_Her otaku-ness is only matched by her uncanny sharpness on reading people. I wonder, does playing otaku games somehow make people more astute? _

"Um...hai?"

"Hoho I see. What happened."

It wasn't phrased as a question, but Yutaka was aware Minami's mother wasn't too far away.

"Eh...um...well maybe later."

"Promise."

"Promise."

Yutaka mind groaned. She wasn't going to be getting much sleep tonight. Maybe she should time her coming home to coincide with a Haruhi episode or something. The danger was of course that she'd then suddenly find Konata astride her at ten past one in the morning demanding the story. She wouldn't put it past her.

"Ous," Konata declared. In the background there was the sound of a door opening. "Ah father, Yuu-chan will be staying late at Iwasaki's."

Yutaka heard a grunt of acknowledgement and then some rustling before a far off voice said,

"That's fine, but take a look at what I got Konata."

Konata gasped.

"Not the new release of Garden of Tentacles!"

"Aha. Special order. It actually comes out next week officially but..."

Yutaka gave an annoyed cough into the phone.

"Ah sorry Yuu-chan, um, yeah I'll see you later. Gotta go look at this game."

Konata's chuckle managed to sound joyful and a touch wicked at the same time. Not for the first time Yutaka wondered what these games were about. They seemed to involve a lot of moaning and girls in school uniform, which was enough to keep her curiosity doused as it seemed like the genre must be horror. Konata was quite into horror movies apparently. And tentacles sounded scary as well. Maybe it was like Jaws but with a giant Octopus. At any rate it was probably best not to pry too closely, particularly when some of the boxes had 18+ stamps.

"Hai, see you later," Yutaka said and the line went dead, Yutaka returning the handset to the stand.

_Konata, Hiyori, Patricia and Miyuki have all been such warm friends to me. Without their support I wouldn't have enjoyed life so much. _

But one green haired individual stood out more than the rest, from the very first day they met when she had taken her to the medical room.

_And without Minami I wouldn't have had the strength to stand up for myself and keep fighting to live this life. Thank you so much Minami, my girlfriend. _

She hurried up the stairs to find her girlfriend, only stopping once, halfway up the second flight, with fists clenched, to do a small shake of joy when the word girlfriend flashed through her mind.

* * *

><p><em>~ Finally managed to get back to doing a bit of writing this weekend. At the minute work is super hectic, and I have job interviews so new updates and stories are going to be thin for the next month or so I expect but will see what I can do. <em>


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